Federal charges have been filed against the Tennessee man who was caught in a Florida hotel room last month with a teenage girl who had been reported missing out of Ohio.
Stephen L. Negron now faces life behind bars in a federal penitentiary after being indicted for transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Negron, 42, was arrested in mid-March by FBI agents who swarmed the hotel where he and the victim, who is 16, were staying.
It is alleged in the indictment, reviewed by Us Weekly, that Negron promised the girl — reported missing on February 16 — a better life.
The indictment further claims Negron shut the victim’s phone off on February 13.
Cell phone data placed her last known location in Colerain, the Ohio town where she lives.
Authorities said security camera footage showed Negron’s silver Chevrolet pickup truck in the area. License plate readers were used to track the truck’s previous travel south through Kentucky and into Tennessee.
Negron, according to the indictment, was the subject of an active protective order that had been issued in Texas to an 18-year-old woman who allegedly met him online in 2023, when she was 16 and Negron was 41.
Federal investigators said Negron traveled from Florida and Tennessee to meet the Ohio teenager and brought her back to Tennessee.
At his home, Negron is alleged to have drugged the girl before raping her.
The girl told investigators he had threatened to break her ankles and toes if she ever tried to escape. She also said he made her download the Session app, which contained child pornography.
Three days after Colerain Police began investigating the girl’s disappearance, one of her friends received a text. Police suspect Negron wrote the message, which asked that she reassure her boyfriend she was fine.
When the friend responded, another text arrived, indicating the victim “is being raped.”
The teenage victim told police Negron was aware of her age but said that he “was willing to risk getting in trouble.” She said Negron made her delete evidence from her phone, change its settings, and then destroyed it with a hammer.
The teen described Negron as “not normal” and said he said he liked little girls. She also stated that “There was no way to get away” from him during her traumatic ordeal. According to the complaint, Negron said he would have met up with her even if she were younger than 16.
On March 12, FBI agents in Tennessee executed a federal search warrant at Negron’s home and found evidence of a new cellphone number, which led them to the hotel in Palatka, Florida.
The following day, officials caught him with the Colerain Township teen, and he was arrested on charges related to his Texas victim.
If you know of a young person who is being exploited or are the victim of a crime, you are urged to report it to your local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be left at tips.fbi.gov
